The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1887-04-21

,omc Funny Theories ,oucernina
Earthquakes


recently teiore the Rigaku kyokis.
or science society of Toxic. on the
causes OF earthquakes. Prof. Milne
Classified the theories as to the cause
of these phenomenas into three
kiuds--unscientiiic. Quasi scientific
and scientific. In the former class he
included the explanations Of the ne.
gro preachers after the late earth.
quakes there. that they occurred I'm
consequence of the wickedncss Of the
population. The Mussu.uans in Java
recently prayed to the volcanoes
there to cease their shakings at the
same tine promising reformation of
HE.
Iust earthquakes are the direct re
suit Of mans wickedncss l. all idea
that has always been common. y bout
1870 earthquakes were felt in many
parts Of Europe, which were widely
attributed 10 this cause, and innu-
meraOle sermons were preached. in
culcat.n4 the lesson that If mankind
would live better lives there wouid
be no more earthquakes. In l7,6.
after shock at Palermo. the people
are recorded to have gone abou,
scourging themselves. and lookirg
extremely humble and peniient. I'm
English poem called "Thckarthquske
published in 1880. alleged the some
what hating verse that the disturb.
anccs were not due TO All unknown
force, nor TO the groaning- ot the i'm.
pri-oned vepors, nor yet TO the shak-
ing of the shores with tabled Fri
dent-
A. no '.c tread o,impious feet
n, conscious earth impatient ar
And shut 4,'iIg with tie guilty Wc sLi
one omlaon grave f1r Ter hAd race prepare
From this theory. which can scarce
Is have satisfied the poet himself
Prot. Milne passed on to the myths
which attribute earthquakes to a
creature living under ground. In
Japan IL J.. All earthquake ln-cC''
covered with scales, aud having
eight legs. or great ti-h having "a
certain rock on his head which help
ed TO keep him Cuict. In Mongolia
the animal wa, said to be u frog IN
India the world. bearir- elephant, ia
the Celcbes world.suppOrting hog.
IN North America tortoise. In
siberia there WAS myth, connected
with the great bones found there,
that these wero the remains OF anil
mails that Eyed under the GROUND, the
trampling of which made the ground
shake. In kantchatka the LEGEND
was CONNECTED with tod,
Tull, who went out hunt
ing with his dogs When these
latter stopped TO scratch themselves,
their movements produccd earth
uuakes In scandinavian mythology
Loki having killed his brother BAD
win vas bound to arock, lace upward
sotui he poison OF serpent should
drot IN his face Loki- wife, how
ever Intercepted the poison III yes
sci. .ud il was only when she h"d To
goANay TO empty the dish that lew
droi reached hin and caused hun to
wriihc AID shake the earth. The lee
turcr hal no iuCGns OF collecting the
fable. Of the southern hemisphere. but
they would obviously bc worth Know
ing for purposes of comparison. ~
TO qunsi. scientific theories these en-
denvured To account for earthquakes
u purts of the ordinary operations OF
uaiufc. IL was supposed, tor instance
that they we're produced b! the acuoi
otwiud confined Inside the earth
The Chinese philosophers snd man
Yang, thc male element, entered the
ear h and caused II to expand ana Ia
shake the ground in it, Efforts to cs-
cape. Its elect would be more WOO
lent beneath the mountains That III
the plaiiIs, and therefore carthiuAk
in the north of China, which was
mountainous. were said to be NOR,
violent than those in the south. II
was supposed that when tho wind
was blowing strongly on the surface
of the earth there wA- calm beneath
ana vice versa. Aristotle and many
other classical writer attributed
earthuuakes TO wind IN the earth
Shakespeare, in "llcnry ~ speak,
ofthc teeming earth being pincheo
and vcxed with Kind of collie by the
imurisoned aad unruly wind within
her womb. Then come the theory
ofelectrica discharges, which WA
advocated in 1850 by Or Stukcly, ~
we'll a. by pcrclval and PriestIey
They are strongly hci'
In California at the present day
where it was believed that the net
work of rails protected the stat
against any dangerous accumnlatloi
of electricity But Prof Milne show
ed that the laying down OF rails II
Japan had no such effect. He though
tho electric phenomena which some
times attended earthquakes wer
their consequences, not their cau.e-
llo had himself experimental Will
dynamite placed in hole; an cart
plato was liked about thirty yard
away from the dynamite and from
a wire was carried some distance Il
another earth plate When the dy
uamlte charge was exploded Their
was certainly current produced, "A
was indicated by strong detection
ola galvanometer needle ~ the enc
of the wire. He attributed this t.
chemical action. When the groun'
was shaken there was Always agrcate
or less action by increase or de,rcas
OF pressure in connection wltn th
earth plate.
Earth currents inquest
company earthquakes, but g. has bee
. .Y,5fs 49,